Archbishop Alarcon blesses Porta Sancta: Be open-minded

By Myrna S. Bermudo

“If you are open - minded, you can learn. You allow a space to understand others. You become merciful. Thus, open your heart, mind and soul to God’s grace. Be open-minded also in accepting the limitations of others,” Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew C. Alarcon said during his homily on July 11, at Tagongtong, Goa.

The Archbishop of Caceres was at the Parish of St. Martin De Porres to bless the Porta Sanctini Martini de Porres on the closing of the 25th foundation anniversary celebration of the parish. 

The parish was canonically erected on July 14, 1998, through a decree of establishment issued by the Most Rev. Leonardo Z. Legaspi OP, then Archbishop of Caceres.

“Twenty-five years is a Jubilee for the parish. Next year, 2025 is a Jubilee for the universal Church,” the Archbishop said. “It is a year of grace, a year of favor, a year of forgiveness. Holy doors are opened for the faithful to receive indulgence and forgiveness of sins. During Jubilee Year, land and people rest. Land is allowed to rest so that the soil will replenish its nutrients.  Those in slavery are set free to return to their families,” the Archbishop said, echoing what Jesus said in the Gospel during His inaugural address “I have come to proclaim the message to the poor, to give sight to the blind, liberty to the captives.”

Pope Francis has declared 2025 a Holy Year.  The event which happens every 25 years will begin on December 24, 2024 until January 6, 2026.

Archbishop Alarcon has recently received a pallium from the Holy Father in St. Peter’s Basilica.  Recalling his visit to Rome, he shared that there is a holy door in the Basilica of St. Peter that will be opened during the Jubilee Year. 

Alarcon offered three points for reflection on the occasion of the blessing of the Porta Sancta. First is to be open-minded and be open to the grace of God. In view of the rapid changes in the world today, the Archbishop challenged the faithful to be open to learn.  Quoting Alvin Toffler, he said “the illiterate of today will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” 

To do so, Alarcon said, “It is important to be open also to receive and accept the other as he/she is, which means learning to embrace one’s limitations, and those of others: the elderly who lacks patience, the brother who has not changed. We carry their weaknesses so that they will feel accepted.  That is the challenge of the Good Shepherd, to allow others to enter the gate especially those who are asking help, requesting our precious time.”

Lastly, the Archbishop said that closing the doors are meant to protect and to put order. “We close the door to protect who are inside. As Christians, we have rules. God closed the doors of heaven because of sin. But due to his compassion and mercy, he sent Jesus to open the door of forgiveness. Jesus reminds us to do good and avoid evil. We need to obey his teachings. We have a Christian lifestyle to be followed.  We have boundaries to observe.”

In conclusion, Alarcon told the people that “the Porta Sancta reminds us of the mercy and goodness of God. The door of mercy is always open. Remember that when we approach God to be reconciled, the door is always open. Because Jesus is the door of mercy.”

He ended his homily with a prayer saying, “Lord, help me to be open to your grace and to others; that I may be able accept my brother/sister whom I find difficult to understand. Lord help me to protect those you have entrusted to my care.”  The Archbishop offered the prayer “as we give thanks to God for the 25 years of this parish.  Receive God’s blessing so that you will continue to grow. May you welcome more people to enter the holy door of the parish who will belong to God’s family.”

Fr. Arnel Haber, the parish priest of St. Martin the Porres parish, together with Fr. Arman Ortinero, Fr. Michael Dennis Tan, Fr. Ronald Angeles, joined Archbishop Alarcon who presided the blessing of the holy door and the Eucharistic celebration on the closing of the parish’s 25th foundation anniversary.

‘Parokyang Boronyog, Tagapaghiras kan Diosnon na Balaog’ was the theme for the occasion. On July 14 a solemn Eucharistic celebration in honor of the Secondary Patroness, Nuestra Senora del Pronto Soccoro was held at 9:00 am, after a  ‘Tinagba ‘and Motorcade at 7:00 AM.

“Porta Sanctini Martini de Porres commemorative arc and sacred path stand not only as physical structures but as enduring symbols of the Parish’s profound devotion and unceasing gratitude to the Almighty. The Porta stands as a gateway to spiritual renewal, a threshold through which we enter with hearts overflowing with reverence and souls brimming with hope,” the parish declared on social media.

Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew C. Alarcon, D.D. with Fr. Michael Dennis Tan, Fr. Arnel Haber, parish priest of St. Martin de Porres Parish, Fr. Ronald Angeles and Fr. Armand Christian Ortinero after the Mass for the Closing of the 25th Foundation Anniversary of the parish in Tagontong, Goa. (Photo:Parish of St. Martin de Porres SOCCOM)